While the trip provided much-needed relief in the form of animal cuddles and fairy floss, the Royal Agricultural Society (RAS) hoped the students would also be motivated to follow in the footsteps of the state's best primary producers.

"The students get to network with industry leaders, learn how the show works behind the scenes … and if that can inspire at least one of them to pursue a career in agriculture then the program has done its job," RAS youth group member Joseph Murphy said.

The students live and breathe agriculture and certainly look set to follow that path, with no-one wanting their town to be left behind.

"I'm looking forward to taking this knowledge back home … not a lot of people in Coolah have an opportunity to go to such a major event," Ms White said.

With severe drought making many local shows across the state untenable due to the quality of produce, Coolah could not have caught a break at a better time.